Predators and Prey
by Tazz Sparrow
Summary: He has no sense of direction, he turns into a pig with a dash of cold water, and the girl he's in love with is engaged to his biggest rival. What more could happen to Ryoga? Well, he could get attacked by a tiger... but maybe that has an upside.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N:** Okay, before I even get into things here, a warning to all you readers. This is going to be an eventual Ryoga x OC fic. There, I said it. Now I don't want to hear any bitching about it later on, go it? And for those of you who don't get all pissy at this sort of thing, enjoy the fic! I lub you!

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Why did it always have to happen to him? 

Leaves crunched under four little pig feet as said little pig wandered aimlessly through an unknown forest. It was just after dawn, and a light rain was falling through the canopy, soaking everything in sight.

And, of course, Ryoga had misplaced his umbrella…

As per usual, the bandanna-clad marital artist had no idea where he was. Was this Japanese soil he was walking on, or was he somewhere else entirely? The trees looked slightly familiar, but that might be because he was traveling in circles. He hoped that wasn't the case.

Sighing, he trudged onward through the thick underbrush of the forest, trying to get some sort of bearing on where he was. In the back of his mind, he knew it was a fool-hearted concept, but at least it passed the time. This rain couldn't last forever.

Unfortunately, his luck was about to go from bad to worse.

A low growl made him freeze, eyes going as big as plates. Slowly looking up, he saw a large tiger crouched on an outcropping above his head. And it probably wasn't licking its fangs because it wanted a clean mouth.

Breaking free of his shock, Ryoga took off as fast as his little legs would take him. Almost immediately he heard a thud right behind him, meaning that giant striped carnivore was giving chase. A moment later, the tiger came up beside him, running at an easy lope. It was playing with him before it killed him. The problem was: Ryoga was already running as fast as he could go.

Dammit.

The tiger fell back and out of his peripheral vision. For a brief moment, Ryoga thought it was giving up. That is, until he noticed big paws running on either side of him. The giant cat was running _over_ him! Before he could fully comprehend it, he felt himself being plucked off the ground. The tiger had him by his bandanna, and he couldn't wiggle free.

And the rain had just started to stop, too…

Slowing to a walk, the tiger rumbled a bit, content with its catch. It changed course and walked deeper into the woods. The trees seemed to get larger and denser the further they went. Didn't tigers usually kill their prey immediately? Not that Ryoga was complaining; it just struck him as odd.

There was a break in the trees ahead. The predator walked into the clearing, revealing a large steaming hot spring directly ahead. _Well, maybe this is a mixed blessing… _Ryoga thought. The tiger walked around to one side and paused on a boulder, stopping at the edge. It then craned its neck and tossed Ryoga into the middle of the hot water.

As he hit the water's surface, he briefly wondered if it would be easier or harder to get away from the tiger in human form. Maybe human meat was more tempting than piggy meat. Humans were certainly a bigger meal. Before he could finish the thought, he went under.

The switch back was abrupt and before he could think of a plan, he had to crash to the surface for air. The first thing he saw through his soaking wet bangs was the large orange and black cat. Eyes bugging, it snarled in surprise and jolted off the rock it was perched on, losing its balance and falling into the water with a splash.

Ryoga arched a brow. Well, that was _one_ way to deal with his dilemma. But of course answers to his problems were never that simple…

A redheaded girl splashed to the surface, coughing and gasping for air. She gaped at Ryoga, her eyes wide in shock.

Ryoga flew backwards as far as he could go, pressing his back against a boulder on the opposite side of the spring. He stared wide-eyed at the redhead, who had quickly covered her chest with her arms and sank lower into the water.

"You... You're _human_!" she sputtered.

"Y-yeah I am..." Ryoga replied, feeling himself going red in the face and a tickle start in his nose. _No, no nosebleeds right now!_ "Who... who are you?"

"Kire..." the girl answered slowly. She quickly shook her head as if to clear it. "Wh-what are you _doing_ here?"

"I got lost," Ryoga stammered. "I mean… the rain started, and I was trying to find shelter, and… and… What are _you_ doing out here?!"

The girl stared at him for a moment, then shook her hand dismissively. "That doesn't matter right now. Ah, geez… You don't happen to have any cold water, do you?"

His shock receding a little, Ryoga shook his head. "No, but... My backpack isn't very far away. I have my clothes in it." _So you're going to go prancing through the woods naked? Brilliant._

The girl Kire brought her hand out of the water and gestured vaguely to a tree off the side of the spring. "That tree has a towel in it, if you want. I'm just... gonna look this way." She turned her back to the tree with the towel and looked down.

Not bothering to ask any more questions right now, Ryoga carefully swam over to the spring's bank and, after looking over his shoulder and making sure the girl was still turned around, he hauled himself out of the water and darted to the tree, pulling a towel out from an old squirrel's nest. He wrapped it securely around his waist and cleared his throat. "Uh, I'll be right back..."

Heading into the woods the way they had come, Ryoga's mind wandered wildly. _How many people have been to Jusenkyou?! It's just my luck. I was about to be eaten by a feral girl! _It was another few minutes before Ryoga caught sight of his backpack lying haphazardly near a tree, his clothes strewn in a pile next to it. After pulling on his damp garb and checking his backpack to make sure everything was still there, he slung the towel around his neck and hoofed it back to the spring.

Only after he saw the redhead again did he realize he hadn't gotten lost.

He shoved the miracle out of his mind for another time. He had more pressing matters at hand. Like the naked girl in the spring. She eyed him cautiously as he came back into the clearing. Ryoga dropped his gaze and watched himself put his backpack down. "Erm... He-here's your towel," he stammered, holding it out towards the water and turning his head in the opposite direction.

He heard the water ripple and splash as the girl came closer and reached out for the towel. She plucked it from his hand as she pulled herself onto the shore and immediately wrapped it around herself. She stayed crouched on the rocks. "Thanks..." she said lowly, as if she wasn't sure whether to trust him or not.

Mumbling a little, Ryoga quickly dug through his backpack and pulled out a spare pair of black pants and his yellow sleeveless shirt. "You can wear these," he said, holding them out to her, still looking the other way. "It's probably better than a towel."

Once again, the girl took the objects in his outstretched hand and pulled back, muttering her thanks. She scooted further away from him and walked nearly silently backwards, putting a clump of bushes between him and her. She crouched low, so she could see just barely over the tops of the bushes, and watched him unblinking.

When she reappeared, she held the towel casually in one hand and was dressed in Ryoga's spare clothes. Her hair was drying, showing it to be a medium reddish-orange hue. It hung past her shoulder blades, her long bangs hanging to the side of her face. Her eyes were a vivid forest green. Those eyes were currently narrowed, staring him up and down. It felt as if she were sizing him up. It made the small hairs on the back of Ryoga's neck rise. There was something strange about this girl. He couldn't decide if it was her stare or the way she moved, but there was something very un-human about it all.

Leaving that worry for later, Ryoga cleared his throat. "Um, I'm Ryoga," he said, trying not to sound like an idiot. "Look, do you know how to get to Nerima from here? I have some… friends there…" He trailed off, realizing his reasoning would become a nervous ramble if he kept going. That unblinking stare was making him want to apologize for things he hadn't even done yet. _I'm sorry for anything you want me to be sorry for, just stop looking at me like that!_ Shaking the thought out of his head, he watched as the girl narrowed her eyes slightly.

"Tokyo? It's not far from here; about a day's journey," she said after a moment of thought. There was an obvious growl to her voice; not a rasp, but an actual growl. "There's a deer path about three hundred yards behind you. Follow it north and it'll take you to the edge of the city limits."

Ryoga nodded vaguely. In the back of his mind, he knew he would never make it to Nerima, but he wouldn't admit to it. With an awkward "thanks", he turned and began heading towards the deer path.

"One more thing," came a call from behind him.

Ryoga turned around and saw the girl standing not far behind him. He hadn't heard her move through the foliage. "Yeah?"

"Don't tell anyone that I'm here," Kire said. "The last thing I need is people coming and poking around."

His brow furrowed. "You live out here?" He looked around the dense forested area. "Really?"

"Yes, I do," the girl replied. "And the last thing I need is curious people coming and ripping everything up."

Ryoga was silent for a moment. "I won't say anything," he said after a while, but curiosity was winning him over. "Why do you live out here?" he asked.

Kire regarded him for a moment, then blinked once and shrugged. Somehow, those movements made her more human to Ryoga. "I've got nowhere else to be. This has been my home for years. And call it personal preference, but I don't want to end up as some poacher's rug." She paused a moment. "And while I'm thinking about it, sorry about the whole 'trying to eat you' thing."

"I'm used to it," Ryoga dismissed.

One of Kire's eyebrows raised.

_Quick, change subjects!_ "Uh, I'd better be going…" Ryoga quickly turned and headed towards the deer path. After a few steps, he looked over his shoulder, but Kire was gone.

------------------------------

Nearly an hour later, Ryoga was still wandering in the forest. Hadn't Kire said there was a deer path around here? It couldn't be much further… Stopping under a large oak tree, Ryoga sighed heavily and dropped his backpack. He had to take a quick break.

"Forget something?"

Ryoga's head jerked up and he looked around for where the voice had come from. Above his head, reclining on a wide branch, was Kire. She was looking down at him, a mild curiosity playing on her face. Ryoga's jaw dropped. "Have you been following me?"

Kire looked like she was going to laugh, but bit it back. "Hardly. I haven't moved since you left."

"Well then how are you…" Ryoga trailed off as realization dawned on him. If she hadn't followed him, but she was above his head… His shoulders slumped a little. "Please don't tell me I'm back where I started…"

Kire was quiet for a moment. "Alright, then I won't tell you." She swung down to the ground easily and landed a few feet from where Ryoga stood stunned. "Those directions weren't _that_ hard, were they?"

"N-no, I guess I just got turned around somewhere…"

"Well then you've gotten turned around a few times now. I saw you walk by here twice before I decided to say anything."

Well, so much for _that_ bluff. Ryoga groaned and plopped down on the ground. "I'm never going to get to Nerima," he grumbled to himself.

"Want me to walk you there?"

Lifting his head, Ryoga scowled a little at Kire.

Kire laughed. "I didn't mean it like that. I mean, do you want me to help you get where you're going?"

Swallowing his pride, Ryoga stood back up and nodded meekly. "It's a family curse. No Hibiki can get to where they're supposed to end up. Not in less than a week, anyway…" He hefted his backpack off the ground.

Kire looked sympathetic. "Tough break. A Jusenkyou curse _and_ a family curse."

"Yeah, lucky me," Ryoga grumbled. He blinked. "Hey, you're not… growling anymore," he observed as they started their journey through the forest.

Kire laughed again, another human action that made Ryoga feel more comfortable around her. "Yeah, sorry about that. I've been spending too much time in my tiger form lately. It takes a while to get everything working human-ly again after a long run."

"How long do you usually spend as a tiger?"

"Well… I've spent a better part of my life as a tiger, if that helps you imagine things," Kire said.

Leaving that bit of conversation for another time, Ryoga changed subjects. He'd ask questions and Kire would answer them, or vice versa as the day went on. Eventually it was late evening, and the pair had to stop for the night.

Ryoga pitched his tent and gathered some firewood, as he usually did at night. When the fire was crackling merrily, he looked around, only to find that Kire was nowhere to be seen. "Um… Kire?"

"Up here."

Looking up, Ryoga saw Kire stretched out on her stomach on a branch above his camp, her arms folded under her chin and her feet hooked behind her around the branch. "Are you really going to sleep up there?" he asked.

Kire shrugged. "I'm used to it. Besides, it doesn't look like there's really room for two people in that tent of yours. Not comfortably or _decently_, anyway."

It was dark; maybe she couldn't see him blushing. "Well, alright. Goodnight Kire." He quickly darted inside his tent, even though he wasn't tired. Geez, it had only been a day and already that girl could make him squirm…

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PS: It's pronounced 'KEE-ray'. It doesn't rhyme with 'tire'... 


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N:** Wow. I really never expected quite as many reviews as I got. Seriously, thanks to everyone who reviewed. I'm glad you liked the first chapter. Personally, I thought it was crap... Anywho! Here's chapter 2! Enjoy!

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The next morning, Ryoga awoke to find an empty camp. The fire was smoking dully, and there was no Kire in the branches above him. Had he dreamt everything up?

Suddenly, a rabbit went streaking out of the bushes and between his feet, looking like it was running for its life. Before the confused mumble even left his lips, another sound drew his attention. "Ahh, look out!" Looking up, all he saw was Kire, who was in mid-leap, come crashing down on his head.

With much groaning and some minor cursing, Kire and Ryoga managed to get untangled and into a sitting position to make sure all appendages were working as they should.

While Ryoga rubbed his head, Kire massaged her wrist and looked around in disappointment. "You didn't happen to see which way breakfast went, did you?"

Ryoga grumbled a bit. "I'm not sure I even know which way is up right now…"

"Damn, that's the second time in a row I've lost my food," Kire growled. "No offense," she added hastily.

"None taken," Ryoga responded, craning his neck to the side and cracking it. "You know, I've got some rations in my backpack. You could have just asked."

Looking a little sheepish, Kire scratched the back of her head. "Didn't think of that…"

After the two had gotten something into their stomachs, they continued the last stretch of their journey. A few hours later, Kire stopped at the bottom of a hill and sighed. "It's over this rise," she said.

Ryoga looked at her. "How can you tell?"

Kire laughed. "How can you _not_? The trees have been getting sparser and sparser; there's less animal activity; I can even smell car exhaust and fast food."

Ryoga made a confused face at Kire's observations. "You _have_ spent a lot of time as a tiger," he said. "Well, let's see if you're right." He began to climb up the easy slope.

Kire held back for a moment. "You doubt me?" she asked incredulously, then loped up after him.

Once he reached the top of the hill, Ryoga was indeed able to see the cityscape of Tokyo. He felt like crying tears of joy. "You were right! Kire, I don't know how to thank you," he said. When she didn't respond, he looked behind him.

Kire was frowning at the scenery. Realizing Ryoga was watching her, she shook her head. "Oh. It was no problem. Are, uh… Are you gonna be okay?"

Ryoga understood the underlying message. "Can you make it from here?" was what she meant. He bit his bottom lip slightly. "Judging by the look on your face, you're not too fond of cities. I'll manage… You've already dealt with me for a whole day as is."

Kire smiled, effectively covering up whatever worry she'd had earlier. "It's no problem. Come on; let's find this dojo of yours."

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"You're frowning again."

"Huh?"

"You're frowning again," Ryoga repeated, stopping in the middle of the sidewalk. "Are you sure you're okay?"

Kire stopped walking and smiled ruefully. "I haven't been in civilization for a while now. Every instinct in me is screaming 'run'."

"That can't be good for you," Ryoga said, resuming his walking.

"It's not. It means I'm not changing back often enough and my tiger instincts are overriding my human ones." Kire scowled to herself. "Oh the joys abound…"

Ryoga arched a brow. "You know, I didn't think it was possible, but your luck might just be as bad as mine."

"Well _that's_ comforting to know," Kire replied flatly, rolling her eyes. "Where'd you say we were going again?"

"The Tendo dojo," Ryoga said. "If we're in Nerima now, it should be hard to miss."

"That so?" Tilting her head, Kire stared at the wall next to her, as if assessing it. Before Ryoga could ask what she was doing, Kire leapt up and grabbed the wall top, fluidly swinging herself up onto it, then leapt up onto the roof of the nearby house and scaled to the peak. It wasn't the kind of high-flying martial arts tricks that he and Ranma could do, but rather the normal human body showing its potential. Ryoga was impressed. "Aha!" Kire shouted. "I see it!"

"You do?" Ryoga cried. "Where?"

That'a way," Kire replied, pointing in the direction they had been heading. "About a quarter mile."

"This may be the first time I make it there in the first try," Ryoga said to himself as Kire made her way back down and swung down off the wall. The two began walking again. After a few more minutes of idle chit-chat, the dojo came into view. Ryoga's face split into a grin. "Record time."

Kire looked over the building with a hint of wariness. "Please tell me you can make it from here," she muttered.

Ryoga leered at her. "Funny... Hey, why don't you come in and meet them?"

Kire stared at him. _Deer in headlights mode... now_.

"Now what's _that_ face for? The least I can do is introduce you to the people who I was looking for."

Swallowing her instincts down, Kire nodded slowly. "Okay, but I'll be heading back to the spring afterwards. People usually find something... wrong with me. They get uncomfortable, so – Hey!"

Ryoga was already pulling her through the gate, around the house, and into the backyard.

"Well well well, if it isn't bacon breath. How long have you been trying to get here?"

The voice was male, and just a little cocky. Ryoga stopped walking, released Kire's arm, and scoffed. "Don't you ever have anything nice to say?"

"Nope," the voice replied. "You gonna answer my question?"

Ryoga shrugged. "Two days from about 60 miles away." Kire peeked up over his shoulder. Standing a few feet away was a young man about their age. He wore typical Chinese clothing and had long black hair that was tied back in a pigtail.

The young man laughed. "Wow, must be some kind of fluke. I bet you – Hey, who's the girl?" He blinked at Kire.

Looking over his shoulder, Ryoga locked gazes with Kire. He arched a brow, as if asking: _Do you really want to meet him?_ Kire just shrugged and stepped out from behind him. Her shoulders were hunched slightly.

The other boy blinked a few times. "So... who is she? New girlfriend?"

In a movement too fast for eyes to follow, the boy's head was in the ground, Ryoga standing over him and looking a little red. "Why do you open your mouth?!" Ryoga snarled.

"Ryoga! Hi!"

A new voice registered in Kire's ears. Turning her head towards the back porch of the house, she saw a smaller girl with short black hair coming out to greet Ryoga. Ryoga's personality immediately changed. He smiled widely and nervously laughed. "Akane! Wh-what are you doing here?"

"She lives here, idiot," the boy grumbled, lifting his head out of the dirt.

Ryoga instantly stomped it back down. "Uh, I got you something... from my travels." He quickly dug through his backpack until he found a small box. He held it out, smiling sheepishly.

The girl smiled and took the box, opening it up. "Oh, hair clips from Hokkaido! Thank you, Ryoga."

Ryoga scratched the back of his head. "No problem."

The girl looked to the side and noticed Kire standing nearby. "Who's that?" she asked.

Ryoga blinked. "Who?" He looked sideways. "Oh! Oh, this is Kire. I met her on my way here. Kire, this is Akane. And that's Ranma." He gestured to the boy on the grass.

Ranma lifted his head and spit out a wad of grass. "So why is she in your clothes, Ryoga? Coincidence?"

Ryoga glared at Ranma and punted him across the yard. "She didn't have any, so I loaned her mine. She's been to Jusenkyou..."

That got Ranma's attention. "Another one?!" he cried. What is it, a tourist hot spot?!"

Kire smirked ruefully to herself. "Sort of..." she muttered.

Akane blinked. "So where did you meet Ryoga? I've never seen you around here before."

"I don't really live around here..." Kire replied. "Ryoga sort of stumbled into my territory."

"I didn't stumble," Ryoga said indignantly.

"Well you didn't exactly waltz in, either." She sighed. "Look, I need to be getting back. Who knows what'll move in while I'm gone..." She turned to go. "Nice meeting you, Ryoga."

"Hey, you're going already?" Ryoga asked.

Kire looked over her shoulder. "No reason for me to stay. And besides, I've got a territory to look over."

"Do you live on a farm or something?" Akane asked.

Kire gave a short laugh. "Uh, not in so many words..."

"She lives in the middle of a forest," Ryoga translated. "She lived out there in her other form."

"In a _forest_?" Akane repeated.

Slowly, Kire turned around, glaring at Ryoga. "Why'd you have to go and do that? Now they think I'm crazy."

Before Ryoga could respond, Akane spoke again. "You can stay here."

Everyone looked her way. "Say what?"

Akane smiled at Kire. "If you're a friend of Ryoga's, you're a friend of ours. And I couldn't just let you sleep in a forest. You can have the second spare bedroom."

"You have a second spare bedroom?" Ranma asked.

"It's the room we never let you into..." Akane said flatly, then turned back to Kire. "So what do you say?"

Eyes narrowed slightly, Kire tilted her head, as if trying to determine if this was a trick or not. After a moment, she nodded slowly. "Okay..."

Akane smiled again. "Great! I'll introduce you to the rest of my family!" She grabbed Kire's wrist and led her off before another word could be said.

Ryoga and Ranma blinked after them. "What... just happened?" Ryoga asked.

"Don't know..."


	3. Chapter 3

This house was full of so many scents, Kire nearly got whiplash. There was food and perfumes, clothing and fur, flowers and carpet. Not to mention that each individual in the house had their own scent left all over everything. Trying not to sneeze, Kire held her breath and was led into what appeared to be the family room.

Two older men were sitting at a shogi board in the doorway to the back porch. One wore a white gi and a white headband, while the other wore a brown gi and had a dark moustache. Both looked up as Akane stopped next to them.

"Daddy, Mr. Saotome, this is Kire. She's gonna stay with us for a while."

Neither seemed terribly affected by this news. "Alright, honey," the man with the moustache replied. "Just make sure the spare room is clean."

Smiling, Akane nodded and headed further into the room. _Well, that was easy_, Kire thought. In front of the television, a girl was sprawled. She had s short brown bob and a rather bored expression. "Nabiki, this is Kire. Kire, that's my older sister Nabiki." After a quick wave from the sister, Kire was tugged into the kitchen.

"Who's you're new friend, Akane?" an older girl asked, looking up from making dinner. She had long brown hair that was tied back in a ponytail. "Will she be staying for dinner?"

"She'll be staying for a while, Kasumi. Kasumi, this is Kire. Kire, my oldest sister, Kasumi."

"Uh, hi?"

"Nice to meet you, Kire," Kasumi said, smiling all the while. "I hope you like it here." She then went back to her humming and cooking.

Leading Kire out of the kitchen and into a hallway, Akane then began to ascend the stairs. "The bedrooms are up here. This is one of the spares that Ranma and Mr. Saotome are staying in. These three belong to me and my sisters. This one is my dad's. And this one here," –she unlocked a sixth door at the end of the hallway– "will be yours." She pushed the door open.

Peeking inside, Kire cocked her head at the room. It was large, by her standards, and already had a dresser, mirror, and futon in it. Padding inside, Kire sniffed around. No one had been in here recently. It smelled of only dust and stale air. She turned around and scratched her head. "Um, thanks. This is really too much for me to –"

"You're welcome," Akane interjected. "It'll be nice to have a new face around. Besides, what kind of person would I be if I let you sleep elsewhere?"

"A normal one," Kire muttered to herself. "Look, if I seem kinda weird to you, don't take it personally. I've just lived most of my life as my cursed form, so I may act somewhat animalistic. Bear with me... er, no pun intended"

Akane nodded slowly. "What _is_ your other form?"

"I fell into the spring of drowned tiger in Jusenkyou."

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Ranma and Ryoga were sitting on the roof of the dojo. "So where'd you find her?" Ranma asked. "Cute girls don't just sprout out of the ground."

"She had been hunting me," Ryoga replied flatly.

"Pardon?"

It was raining, and I was food just tromping through her woods. She caught me and took me deeper into the woods to a hot spring she lived near. I guess she meant to drown me and cook me in the spring, but she didn't expect me to be human when I came to the surface."

Ranma waved his hands around. "Slow down, hang on a second. You said she's been to Jusenkyou. So what spring did she fall into?"

"That of a very large carnivore," Ryoga muttered. "Hence the whole 'hunting and eating' bit."

"Eh, with you, one never knows."

Casting Ranma a glare, Ryoga shrugged off his backpack and set it next to him. "She's a nice girl, Ranma, so don't mess around with her like you do everyone else. Besides, she could probably kick your ass from here to tomorrow. There's something really... different about her..."

"You like her?"

_Thwack!_

Ranma held his head where Ryoga had hit him. "Why are you so tactless?" Ryoga snarled. "She helped me out a lot. Forgive me for being more gracious than you. Besides," he added, "you didn't see that way she first looked at me. There was nothing human in her stare. It was chilling..." He shuddered involuntarily.

Ranma snickered. "Sissy."

Before anyone could say, "Not again," a brawl was going on in the backyard. Punches and kicks flew by so fast that most of the fight was a blur. The fight was as even as ever, both boys giving and receiving their share of hits. Ranma did notice that Ryoga was faster than he was before, so he had to step up his game a bit to stay matched with him. He leaped into the air and prepared to deliver a hard kick.

"What in the...?"

The voice distracted Ryoga and he looked away from Ranma and to the back porch. There stood Kire, arms crossed over her chest. She was no longer wearing Ryoga's old clothes, but instead wore a pair of loose black pants and a red spaghetti-strap tank top. Her hair was brushed to a shine and hung to the back of her shoulders She didn't look nearly as feral as she did twenty minutes ago. In fact, she looked –

_Whack!_

Kire winced as Ryoga was knocked ten feet backwards by Ranma's kick. "Was that supposed to happen?" she called as Ryoga struggled to sit up.

Ranma, too, was curious. "What distracted you just now? You've never been _that_ clueless in a fight before." He glanced to the porch where Kire stood, Akane right behind her. He smirked. "Aha... So _that's_ it..."

Kire leaned towards Akane. "Does this happen often?"

Akane didn't seem amused. "More than you'd believe..."

Stepping off the porch, Kire trotted towards where Ryoga lay stunned in the grass. She crouched down next to him, then held up a hand next to her mouth, as if telling a secret "You know, usually the point of a fight is to _not_ get hit..." she murmured.

"I didn't do it on purpose," Ryoga grumbled, sitting up and rubbing the forming bruise on his skull. "You distracted me."

"Me? What'd _I_ do?"

"You –" _Hold it. Don't finish that. Rewind and revise._ "You said something and I looked up."

Kire arched a brow. "Some martial artist you are, then. If you get distracted by someone speaking, then _I'm_ a better hunter than you."

Ryoga looked up through his bangs. "Oh?"

Kire smiled eerily. "Imagine running as fast as you can through the woods, dodging trees and not tripping over roots and vines, chasing after a small pig that can only be tracked by the sounds its feet are making. Every living thing you pass by is shrieking because you're near, but you have to keep focus on that little pig, otherwise you go hungry for the third day in a row." The smile vanished. "Do you have any idea how hard a little black pig is to _track_ in a dark forest during a storm?"

Ryoga was visible pale. "You could have used an example that didn't hit so close to home, you know."

Kire stood back up and winked. "Just wanted to give you a clue." Without warning, her stomach let out a loud growl. Kire blinked at it a moment, then turned her eyes back to Ryoga. Her tongue ran slowly across her lip.

Ryoga went paler.

------------------------------

"You're way too easy to spook," Kire said, licking the last remnants of ramen from her bowl.

Ryoga was scowling and sitting with his arms crossed. "You've already tried to eat me once. What's to say you won't try again?"

Kire frowned. "Am I _that_ malicious looking?"

"No..." Ryoga mumbled. "You're just kinda scary when you look at me like that."

"Like what?"

"Like you're going to eat me."

Kire snickered. "Now why waste the effort in catching you when there's ramen about? Ramen doesn't struggle."

Ranma couldn't get over the fact that Ryoga was slightly intimidated by Kire. He nudged Ryoga with his elbow. "What's the matter, Ryoga? Scared of a li'l ol' girl?" Ryoga, Akane, and Kire glared at him equally.

"'Li'l ol' girl'?" Kire repeated. "You think I'm a pushover?"

Ranma blinked. "Nothing personal, but girls are just naturally weaker than men."

Before Akane or Ryoga could shout at Ranma's accusation, Kire stood up. Slowly, she smiled. "Care to test that claim?"

------------------------------

In the backyard, Ranma and Kire stood at opposite sides of the yard, while Akane and Ryoga stood on the porch. Akane seemed slightly apprehensive. "Ryoga, are you sure we should let them do this? I mean, not that I doubt Kire's strength, but Ranma's been trained since he was born. He's got an unfair advantage, doesn't he?"

Ryoga shrugged. "Yeah, he's got the training she doesn't have, but Kire's got a weapon that will beat Ranma hands down."

Akane turned to look at him. "What? What is it?"

Ryoga only smirked.

Suddenly, Ranma went charging at Kire. "Don't worry, I'll make it quick!" He pulled back a fist to deliver a hard punch...

...And missed completely as Kire ducked out of the way with surprising speed and agility. As Ranma spun to see where she'd gone, he saw her roll into the pond.

He stopped and blinked. "What the...?"

And a second later, a huge tiger came rocketing to the surface. It roared, fangs bared, and went speeding straight at Ranma.

Akane's eyes went wide. "That... That's more fearsome than I expected! Ryoga, you _did_ warn Ranma what Kire turns into, right? Right?"

Ryoga didn't reply, but kept on smiling.

Kire raced towards where Ranma stood, claws outstretched. He looked shocked... more so than he should have been. As she closed in on ten feet, Ranma turned around, flew past Akane and Ryoga, and went screaming into the house.

_Huh?_

Kire slid to a halt in the grass. She blinked a few times, then looked at Ryoga, a question mark practically hanging over her head.

Ryoga was having a hard time bridling the laughter that was building up in his chest. His shoulders were shaking and the corner of his mouth was twitching as he tried to keep his mirth contained. Finally, he couldn't hold it anymore and doubled over, holding his sides and laughing.

Akane sighed and put a hand on her forehead. "Okay, he deserved that, but it was still a dirty trick." She then went inside to check on Ranma.

Kire slowly walked up to Ryoga and stood on the edge of the porch, one eyebrow raised. She waited to Ryoga to calm himself down before rumbling a questioning tone.

Ryoga looked up. "Did I mention that Ranma is deathly afraid of cats?" he asked, a giggle still in his voice.

Kire groaned and rolled her eyes.


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N:** So, I must admit, I'm astounded that I have reviews. Seriously, you guys rock. And I take the criticism along with the comments. Honestly, criticism makes me a better writer, and I appreicate it, good or bad. Thanks everyone!

* * *

After Kire had taken a hot shower and Ranma had come out from hiding under his futon, they all were sitting out on the back porch. "That was dirty, Ryoga," Ranma growled. "Why didn't you tell me she turned into a tiger?"

"You never asked," Ryoga replied.

Ranma scowled at the answer and grumbled, "What is it with girls and cats...?"

"What's that supposed to mean?" Kire asked, raising an eyebrow.

"There's another girl in Nerima who fell into a Jusenkyou spring," Ranma explained. "She's an Amazon warrior from China named Shampoo. She fell into the spring of drowned cat. Not a big, giant tiger like you, just a little, normal house cat," he said, gesturing the different sizes.

"So... what? I'm the biggest thing around here?" Kire asked, scratching her head.

"Not quite," Akane corrected. "Mr. Saotome turns into a big panda."

Kire sighed. "At least it wasn't spring of drowned elephant."

Ryoga did a double-take. "There is one?"

"Yeah, and it's not very pretty," Kire muttered. "Nearly got stepped on..." She shook her head. "Anyway, who else around here's been to Jusenkyou? I thought it was pretty rare."

"Not rare enough," Ranma replied. He began to count off on his fingers. "There's Pops an' me, Shampoo and Mousse, Pantyhose Taro, the frogman... Am I missing anyone?"

"Probably, but I don't want to think about it," Akane replied.

Kire blinked and looked to Ryoga. "What about –?"

Ryoga's hand was suddenly over her mouth. "Nope, no one else _I_ can think of either," he said, a little louder than necessary. Ranma and Akane didn't seem to find this behavior unusual. Looking at the bandanna-wearing boy suspiciously, Kire's brow furrowed a bit. Ryoga grinned nervously. "Okay, Kire?"

After a moment, Kire rolled her eyes and sighed, moving Ryoga's hand off her mouth. "Okay, okay. So, back to what I was saying... That's a nice handful of people. What are their cursed forms?"

"Like Akane said," Ranma began, "my pop is a panda, Shampoo's a cat, Mousse is a duck; you can usually spot him cuz he wears glasses. The frogman's self-explanatory. And Pantyhose Taro... well, Taro's a huge bull slash yeti thing with wings and tentacles and all sorts of other things that a normal animal doesn't have. I suggest avoiding him at all costs."

Kire waited for more, but it never came. "So... what are you?"

Ranma squirmed, then mumbled something incomprehensible.

"Pardon?"

"I'm a girl, okay?" he snapped. "The worst curse I could have..."

Both Kire and Ryoga scowled. "At least you still retain the ability to speak, move about in public, and wear clothes," Kire said after a moment. "I don't think being turned into the opposite sex is _that_ bad. Hell, I'd prefer getting turned into a boy than a tiger."

"Do you have any idea how inconvenient it is?" Ranma asked. "I get lusted after by so many men, I can't even count them anymore. If anyone of my friends from school are around me and it starts to rain, I have to run and hide. It's Hell!"

"Oh stop being so dramatic," Akane grumbled. "You run around as a girl to get free food."

Ranma went slightly red.

Kire frowned. "Are you kidding? I'm a walking Discovery Channel special."

Ryoga glanced at Ranma. "She does kind of have you beat," he said, then turned back to Kire. "You don't seem as uptight anymore. Are you readjusting to civilization?"

Kire shrugged. "Now that you mention it... I dunno, I guess maybe I just had to take a minute to get used to people again. I'll admit I missed human society, but it was somewhat more natural for me to live as a tiger, having been one for so long. That, and it was easier, to boot."

"Why didn't you try to reintegrate before now?" Akane asked.

"Well, I was kinda forced into this," Kire replied. "But... as a tiger, you see the world a different way. Humans come into the woods to hunt, and sometimes it's you they're hunting. Tigers see humans as a threat; invaders. As a human, you don't really see it quite so black and white. I just forgot that there were grays in that spectrum... until Ryoga needed directions, anyway."

Ryoga joined Ranma's slight redness.

Akane tilted her head. "You make it sound like you're two different people."

"You could say that, I suppose. Though once I'm more comfortable, they'll mold back into one psyche again, so to speak." Kire smirked. "Are your eyes crossed yet?"

Ranma rubbed his head. "Almost..."

------------------------------

A week passed, and Kire was settling in nicely with the Tendos. When Akane and Nabiki were at school, she would help Kasumi with the chores around the house, earning her keep. And every day, Ryoga would check in on her. She didn't bother to ask how he found his way to the dojo every day without ending up across the country.

One day, Kasumi let Kire off early, since there were no more chores to be done. "Why not go into town?" she suggested. "You've never been there, and it'll be fun to look around."

Kire scratched her head. "Okay, if it's alright with you. I'll be back in time to help you with dinner." Then she pulled on the tennis shoes she had recently been given and headed out the door.

The weather was warm and sunny, perfect for a nice amble through Nerima. Pulling her hair back into a ponytail, Kire sighed and clasped her hands behind her neck, walking down the road towards the middle of Nerima. Funny, the crowds of the city didn't seem to bother her as much as that had when she first set foot in Tokyo. She could actually blend in rather well amongst them now, rather than stick out like a sore thumb.

Oh look, downtown Nerima.

Kire glanced around at all the shops and recreational areas surrounding her. Restaurants and ice skating rinks and parks and... Ooh, pizza! Making a sudden swerve, Kire walked into the okonomiyaki shop next to her. She had a couple bucks that she'd scraped up, she was hungry, and some Japanese pizza sounded good right now. Upon entering the establishment, she saw a long-haired brunette girl manning the grill. Immediately, the brunette looked up from her cooking and smiled.

"Welcome to Ucchan's!" she greeted. "What can I get for you?"

Kire thought a moment, then ordered a traditional okonomiyaki from the chef. Sitting herself down on the other side of the grill, she looked around the place. By all standards, it was pretty nice.

The chef's voice brought her out of her musings. "I've never seen you around before. You new to Nerima?"

"Very," Kire replied. "I came here about a week ago and was kind of forced to stay..."

"Yeah, that happens around here," the girl replied with a smirk. "I'm Ukyo, by the way."

"Kire. Nice to meet you."

While her food was prepared, Kire and Ukyo ended up chit-chatting about random things, like how Kire liked Nerima so far and if she planned to stay. "So where are you staying at?" Ukyo asked.

"A dojo a few blocks away," Kire replied. "They were nice enough to give me free room and board, but I help out with housework to make up for it." She chuckled to herself. "They've gone as far as giving me some of their old clothes to wear, since I didn't really have any of my own."

"Were you a traveler?" Ukyo asked, one brow raised.

"Not really..." Kire replied. "Uh, have you ever heard of Jusenkyou?"

Ukyo nearly face-faulted. "Don't tell me. You're cursed," she surmised.

Kire nodded. "Unfortunately."

"You know, there's another dojo near here that had a few Jusenkyou visitors living at it. Maybe you could go talk to some of them. It's the Tendo dojo."

There was a pause. "That's where I'm staying..."

Ukyo blinked. "Really? So you've met Ranma and Akane already?" Kire nodded. "Well, nevermind, then. Have they seen your cursed form?"

"Yeah. Ranma ran away from me faster than I've even seen a person move."

Ukyo cocked her head to the side. "What do you turn into?"

"A tiger."

The chef let out a small laugh. "Yeah, I bet that scared the bujeebers outta him. Poor guy's dad threw him into a pit of hungry cats with sausage around his neck when he was a little kid. Genma said it was for 'training', but it traumatized Ran-chan."

Kire temporarily ignored that 'chan' and accepted the okonomiyaki Ukyo handed her. After a few bites, she sighed in contentment and smiled. "This is great!"

Ukyo smiled. "A chef always likes to hear that her work is appreciated." She then blinked at Kire. "Uh, I hope you don't think me forward..." she said slowly, "but Nabiki's pink t-shirt doesn't really suit you."

"Oh, believe me, I am fully aware..." Kire sweatdropped and picked up her okonomiyaki again, and as she bit down she heard a familiar shout...

"Where the hell am I now?!"

Kire sighed in vexation.

"In here, Ryoga!"

Kire looked up, surprised. Ukyo had yelled the same thing as she had.

Ukyo blinked. "You've met Ryoga already, too?"

"Yeah," Kire said, "he's the one who brought me here. Well, technically, I brought him, but that doesn't matter..." She shook her head and started over. "Yes, I know Ryoga. He's kind of the only friend I've got in this place."

"I am?"

Kire quickly looked over her shoulder only to see Ryoga standing in the doorway of the restaurant, a slightly bewildered look on his face. She rolled her eyes and gave Ryoga a look. "Yes, you are, you dolt. I don't know anyone else well enough to call them 'friends'." She paused. "Unless you feel otherwise..."

"N-no," he said quickly. "It's just... I don't get called a 'friend' very often..." Slowly, Ryoga walked up and sat down at the counter. "Hey Ukyo," he greeted casually.

"Hey, sugar," Ukyo replied. "If you're thinking about begging for free food, you're gonna wanna go somewhere else, cuz I'm not biting."

"Why does everyone assume I have no money?" Ryoga asked no one in particular. "I can pay, thank you."

"Since when do you have money?" Ukyo asked.

Ryoga scowled a little. "I've always had money. I do odd jobs wherever I go, but since I don't stay in civilization for very long, it sort of just accumulates."

The okonomiyaki chef frowned. "And just how much has 'accumulated', Ryoga?"

Ryoga shrugged and thought about it a moment. "I dunno. I guess around 250,000 yen?" (That's a bit over $2,000 American.)

Ukyo was suddenly looming over the lost boy, eyes narrowed, an unholy red aura emanating off her. "Then why are you always mooching food from me?!" she shouted.

Ryoga laughed nervously. "N-now, Ukyo... Let's not get angry." He slipped off the chair and backed away. Ukyo moved around the grill and followed him, reaching for the giant spatula at her back. "Eep! What can I do to make it up to you? I'll do anything, just don't hit me!" He covered his head as the spatula was raised.

The deadly strike never came.

Slowly uncovering his face, Ryoga peeked between his arms and looked at Ukyo. She was merely standing in front of him, the spatula over her shoulder, looking thoughtful. "Anything...? You know, there may be something you can do, sugar," she said after a moment.

"Will you promise not to hit me if I agree?" Ryoga asked, putting his arms down.

Ukyo smiled. "Of course."

"I'll do it."


	5. Chapter 5

Ryoga sat in a chair and watched himself twiddle his thumbs. He knew he was blushing, but he couldn't make it stop. Why did his debt have to be paid by taking Ukyo and Kire out to the mall to try on clothes?

Ukyo came out of the changing rooms wearing a strapless red dress and a pair of high heels. "Well, sugar? What'cha think? Would Ran-chan like this?"

Ryoga's eyes nearly shot out of his head, mainly because Ukyo was the epitome of 'tomboy' in his mind. Covering the blood that started to eek out of his nose, he looked back down and mumbled, "Are you guys almost done?"

"Nonsense!" Ukyo replied. "I'm having fun!" With that, she hopped back into the changing room.

Ryoga, having gotten his nose under control, put his face in his lap. This was the last time he would agree to 'anything'. Looking up cautiously at the sound of footsteps, he saw Kire coming out wearing a pair of loose black pants and a red sleeveless shirt. A few more pairs of pants and half a dozen shirts hung over her arm. Thankfully, she hadn't come out in anything that may have put him into hemorrhagic shock. She plopped down into the chair next to him, putting the clothes in her lap.

"So," she said after a minute, "is Ukyo always like this?"

"Are you kidding?" Ryoga asked. "She's usually a tomboy like no other. I don't know what's gotten into her, but she's been coming out in nothing but dresses, asking me if I think Ranma would like it. I think she's lost her mind." He gave a weak sigh. "I don't know how much more of this new Ukyo I can take."

Kire snickered. "Well, I think she's almost done, so you'll be outta here soon." She nudged him with her elbow and smiled. "And thanks for buying me some clothes. The hand-me-downs weren't really my style."

Ryoga blushed slightly. "Uh... no problem..." He shook his head a little. "So, uh... how are you settling in at the dojo?"

Kire shrugged. "Pretty good, I guess. I help Kasumi out with the chores while Ranma, Akane, and Nabiki are at school so I don't feel too much like a moocher. Not to mention my animal instincts are receding, so I'm adjusting easier. Generally, it's not bad." She thought for a moment. "I've been meaning to ask you... How have you been getting to the dojo everyday without getting lost?"

Ryoga looked down in embarrassment. "I've been sleeping a block away in the park and making sure not to wander out of the city limits so I make it there at least every day."

Kire sweatdropped. "Look, Ryoga... I appreciate you stopping in to make sure I'm doing okay, but you don't have to _every_ day. Not if it's causing you to sleep in a park."

Tapping his fingers together, Ryoga shrugged. "Honestly, I'm used to worse. Besides, I'm the reason you're here. I wanna make sure you're not completely miserable."

That statement took Kire off guard a little. She wasn't used to people actually caring about how she felt. Rubbing the back of her neck, she looked up at the ceiling lights. "Yeah, well I don't want you to be completely miserable, either. Like I said, you're the only friend I've got."

"That's a lie; I'm your friend now," Ukyo interrupted. Kire and Ryoga looked up, only to see that Ukyo had come out of the dressing room wearing a black halter dress with long slit up the side of the leg. She smiled slyly. "How 'bout this one?"

Ryoga's chair had fallen over backwards and the lost boy lay on the floor, blood pooling around his head.

------------------------------

Ukyo was laughing hard. "Wow, I never thought girly clothes could be so much fun! Not very effective for martial arts, but definitely fun for dress up." She looked back over her shoulder smiled evilly. "Don't you agree, Ryoga?"

Kire rolled her eyes as she continued down the road with Ryoga. His blood loss had made him weak in the knees so, with his arm around her shoulders, Kire was helping him walk. "You're awfully chipper for having almost killed the poor guy," she said to the okonomiyaki chef.

Ukyo merely put her arms behind her head and shrugged. "Picking on him always seems to make me feel better. Don't know why."

"You're cruel and unusual," Ryoga grumbled. "Why are you still trying to impress Ranma anyway? Haven't you already tried everything in the book?"

"Not everything," Ukyo replied. "These girly clothes might just do the trick. Now how to get him alone..."

Ryoga sighed heavily. "_That's_ the Ukyo I know," he said to Kire. "She's mean and conniving and manipulative."

"You can be all those things when you want, too, sugar," Ukyo said over her shoulder. "It's not just me."

Kire arched a brow at Ryoga.

"She lies," Ryoga murmured quietly.

"Hey, at least I wasn't easily possessed by a giant cat," Ukyo called back.

Kire's face quirked. "Say what now?"

Ryoga's eyes went wide. "How do _you_ know about that?" he asked Ukyo, standing up straighter.

"We know all the same people," Ukyo responded. "It's hard to keep a secret in this city."

Kire stopped walking, causing Ryoga to halt as well. "Okay, everyone, hold up," she interjected. "What's all this possession via cat about?"

"Not _via_ cat," Ukyo corrected, turning around to face them. "_By_ a cat. Maomolin is a ghost cat that's about seven feet tall with a big bell around his neck. We've had run-ins with him before, but one time, he managed to possess our weak-willed Ryoga."

"I am not weak-willed," Ryoga growled, standing up of his own accord. "My will power had nothing to do with it! I got no say in the matter at all!"

"_Anyway_," Ukyo cut in, "Maomolin possessed Ryoga, and ended up proposing to Akane, because Maomolin needs a bride. Don't quite remember why... It was all pretty funny, from what I hear." She smiled cheerily.

Kire blinked a few times. "Please say that's just the condensed version of this tale."

"Oh, of course," Ukyo answered. "But like I said, I'm second party to this. If you want all the fun details, ask Ryoga."

"Useless," Ryoga said quickly. "I don't remember anything about the whole ordeal!" He turned on Ukyo, momentarily forgetting the redheaded girl next to him. "What made you bring that up, you cretin? There wasn't even a segway into that."

Ukyo shrugged and smirked. "Like I said, picking on you makes me feel better. Besides, shouldn't Kire, who _is_ you friend, know these things?"

Ryoga had no comeback. Instead, he stood in the middle of the sidewalk with his mouth hanging open.

Kire sighed and scratched her head. "Oh, I'm gonna like it here..."

------------------------------

The trio finally made it back to the Tendo dojo. In that short span of time, Ukyo had managed to mention every embarrassing situation Ryoga had ever been in. Every situation she could remember, anyway. The poor misdirected martial artist was practically catatonic from mortification.

Ryoga stumbled into the foyer of the Tendo home, eyes unfocussed and staring straight ahead. He didn't dare look behind him, for fear of what Kire may say or what he might do to Ukyo. Girl or not, Ryoga was tempted to leap head-on into a brawl with the chef.

Ukyo snapped her fingers. "Oh! And then there was the time –"

In a blur of motion that most human vision couldn't follow, Ryoga spun around and had Ukyo by the shoulders. "_Will you stop that_?!" he yelled.

Ukyo seemed unfazed by the unholy red aura that was snaking around Ryoga. "Oh calm down, sugar. I'm just playing around."

"I don't think he's playing along anymore," Kire murmured to Ukyo. Sidestepping the rivaling martial artists, Kire took off her shoes and continued into the house, heading towards the kitchen, where she knew Kasumi would be. "I'm back," she called, nearing the doorway.

"Hello, Kire," came Kasumi's gentle greeting. "Did you have fun today?"

"Um, you could say that," Kire replied.

A second later, there was a sudden bone-jarring smash that seemed to shake the house to its very foundation, then a scream of absolute terror.

"_I'm sorry I'm sorry I'm sorry_ _I'm sorry!_" Ryoga cried as he went racing past the kitchen.

Ukyo was right on his heels, her giant battle spatula raised in a menacing fashion. "Oh you're _gonna_ be sorry when I'm through with you!"

Kire sweatdropped.

"Oh, Ryoga and Ukyo are here," Kasumi noted. "How nice of Ranma's friends to stop by." She gave another cheery smile, then went back to slicing vegetables.

Sensing that Ryoga may be in dire need of some assistance, Kire excused herself from the kitchen and went tearing down the hall after Ukyo. What she was going to do against an angry spatula-wielding martial artist, she didn't quite know, but she couldn't bring herself to sit by and listen to him get thrashed.

Meanwhile, out in the yard, Ryoga was dodging the giant metal cooking utensil Ukyo was slashing at him with. He didn't even remember what he'd said to make her want to kill him; the cause of the forming bruise under his hair seemed to have knocked it out of his memory. Who knows, maybe he hadn't even said anything offensive, and Ukyo just wanted to clock him. That wasn't too farfetched.

Shit, he really shouldn't drift into thought when in the middle of a fight.

With a surprised bark, Ryoga brought his arms up to block the sheet of metal that was mere inches from his face. This was going to hurt... Huh?

He found himself stumbling backwards as someone grabbed his collar and pulled him out of the spatula's path. Catching his balance, Ryoga looked behind him to see who's spared him some unnecessary head trauma.

Kire stood next to him, a slight scowl on her face. "Now honestly, can't you two play nice?" she muttered.

Ryoga stumbled for words to explain himself, while Ukyo simply threw out, "He started it."

Kire gave a slightly bemused expression. "Come on, Ukyo. Can you really take anything this guy says seriously?" She reached up and snagged Ryoga's bandanna, shaking his head slightly.

"Hey," Ryoga grumbled, shooing Kire's hand away. "How do you know it was my fault, huh?"

"Because it usually is," she said, then winked and smiled. She reached up and pushed him to sit in the grass and waggled his head again for the fun of it. However, his bandanna came off in the process... leaving another bandanna in its place. Kire blinked a few times, glancing from the bandanna in her hand to the one around Ryoga's forehead. "Erm..."

Ryoga rolled his eyes. He was used to this kind of reaction. He didn't expect Kire to reach over and snag another bandanna from his head, though. She continued to blink at the two bandannas in her hand, then at the one he was still wearing. Ryoga sweatdropped.

Ten minutes later, Kire was sitting next to him, a decent-sized pile of yellow and black bandannas surrounding her, while one was still inexplicably tied around Ryoga's head. It seems that the laws of reality were slightly bent in Nerima... Dusting some of the headbands off her legs, Kire frowned in thought, then plucked one off the ground and tied it around her own forehead.

Ryoga stared. It was weird seeing anyone else, let alone a girl, wearing one of his trademark bandannas, but he couldn't deny that a part of him liked what he saw. He found himself chuckling as Kire, perplexed as ever, pulled the bandanna back off and felt around for one that didn't magically reappear.

"Give it up, Kire," Ukyo sighed. "You're not gonna get it. None of _us_ do."

Kire huffed and tied it around her head again, pulling it back off with the same reaction as before; nothing.

Ryoga couldn't help but laugh. "You can just ask me how it works, you know," he said.

Kire scratched her head and stared at all the bandannas scattered everywhere. "Can you explain it?" she asked.

"Probably not."

Kire frowned. "Then why offer?"

Ryoga shrugged. "It's not like they're permanently affixed to my head," he said. "See?" He easily pulled off the piece of cloth, letting his thick bangs fall into his eyes. He held out the bandanna for Kire to inspect.

Taking it from his outstretched hand, Kire examined the seemingly innocent piece of fabric. It was just... a bandanna. And just one, by the looks of it. She shook it out, half-expecting more to simply fall out of omni-space. Nothing happened; just a simple bandanna.

Looking back up to Ryoga, Kire was about to come off with a witty remark, but stopped herself short. Taking a long look at her friend, she realized that with his thick black hair lying haphazardly in his face, he looked like a completely different person. It made him look more predatory, focus going to his forest green eyes instead of to the yellow dappled strip in his hair. There was a small tweak in Kire's stomach before she handed his bandanna back. "Put this back on. You look... not like you..."

Ryoga smirked and retied the bandanna around his head, ruffling his hair up slightly.

"Why do you need so many?" Kire asked, picking up a handful from around her. "These can't all be just spares."

Picking one up from beside him, Ryoga held it by the end and easily twirled it in his hand. With a quick flick of his wrist, he sent it soaring. The bandanna-made-buzzsaw made a high arc through the air, then promptly went slicing clean through the training board in the Tendos backyard. After a moment, the top half of the plank went tipping sideways and clattering into the grass.

"Wow," was all Kire could manage.

"It must be pretty useful to have a never-ending supply of weapons at your disposal," Ukyo muttered.

"It comes in handy," Ryoga replied.

The call of, "We're home!" resounded through the Tendo home and into the backyard. A moment later, Ranma and Akane stepped out onto the back parch. Ranma blinked at the three people sitting in the backyard. "Did we miss a party or somethin'?" he asked.

"Hi everyone," Akane said, interrupting Ranma. "We didn't see you at school today, Ukyo."

Ukyo shrugged. "I _do_ have a business to run," she replied casually. "But today ended up being slower than usual, so I went out with these two."

Ranma eyed the large pile of bandanna scattered around. "Uh... is everything okay?"

Ukyo smiled disarmingly. "Don't worry about it, Ran-chan. We're not all gonna gang up on ya. Ryoga was just showing Kire some of his many tricks."

Kire suddenly looked like a kid in a candy shop. "There's more?" she asked with a grin. "Show me!"

Ryoga sighed, then turned to his rival. "Care for a spar, Ranma?"


End file.
